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The Canadian Olympic Boxing Trials took over the Queen Elizabeth Hotel Ballroom in Montreal last week, with the five-day competition used to decide the ten male and three female boxers who will represent the country in next year’s Olympic qualifiers.

Among those with a strong chance of heading to Rio is 2015 Pan-American champion Arthur Biyarslanov, after he defeated Brandon Leaman in the light welterweight final.

“I came here to win but I wanted to do more and stop my opponent. It didn’t go that way but a win is a win. The Pan-American Games gave me a lot of confidence and I proved that I was among the best fighters in the world. I believe I can make the podium at the Olympic Games,” said Arthur Biyarslanov after the trials.

The 17 year-old Thomas Blumenfeld took the flyweight place after dominating all three rounds against Evan Gillard in their final, while the experienced Commonwealth Games champion Samir El-Mais won the heavyweight category.

Canada’s top female boxer and Pan-American Games winner Mandy Bujold took a massive step towards Rio when she defeated Kim Klavel in the women’s flyweight final.

“I went through that experience three years ago when I didn’t qualify for London and I grew from it. It was the hardest thing i’ve had to deal with but it made me stronger. I made changes in my career, changed coaches and now I don’t leave anything to chance and I used this as a dress rehearsal for the big one, the Rio Olympic Games,” said Bujold.

Another Toronto 2015 gold medalist, Caroline Veyre, will go to the Rio qualifiers after defeating Sabrina Aubin-Boucher in the lightweight final, while double AIBA World Champion Ariane Fortin defeated Alison Greey to become the Canadian women’s team’s middleweight qualifier.